➤ Mosaic, the PC review 🎮

We had already analyzed it in a mobile version, but given the arrival in a probably more congenial environment, let's take a new look at the Krillbite creature with this Mosaic review on PC. The basic elements are basically the same seen on the iPad, so we refer you to the previous review for all the information on the game in question, but given that some of the most critical elements of the version analyzed on iOS concerned the control system and some inconsistencies of the 'interface, we gave a second in-depth look to the PC version to notice any developments on these fronts. In fact, it is clear that Mosaic is much more at ease in this role, with the use of the mouse that solves most of the problems detected in the movement and in the contextual interaction with the scenarios within the mobile version, therefore on this front we are facing a good evolution that returns the idea of a much more solid game, but obviously all the other elements remain the same, with the strengths and defects detected in this small but ambitious narrative adventure.

By staging the monotonous life of a common employee in a gray and powerful corporation, crushed by work rhythms, induced expenses and needs, the absence of social relationships and futile pastimes from smartphones, Mosaic leads us to reflect on modern society and its distortions, on the inhuman paradoxes of the capitalist economy and on the superficiality of consumerist desires and entertainments. However, the game also features a path of redemption: in the strange epiphanies that the protagonist undergoes day after day, which make him deviate from the imposed path and rediscover life and nature in various apparently dormant forms, there is also a form of revolution, which starts silent and clandestine but imposes itself in an increasingly clear-cut way with the gradual rediscovery and awareness of his own humanity by the modest employee. There is a nice message of hope in the expressionist greyness of Mosaic, which is discovered slowly - perhaps too slowly - through the handful of days represented in the course of the adventure. It is something that strikes and leads us to reflect because it speaks a little to all of us, even if it does so through a form that is not fully convincing and not entirely new, but we must still give credit to Krillbite for having at least tried to probe deep arguments. through a video game and this is certainly a noble intent.

Videogame expressionism

The form in which Mosaic sends its message is that ofnarrative adventure, even if there is very little of the video game in what emerges from the screen. The orderly sequence of actions repeated several times serves to underline the distressing monotony of the protagonist's working days, the stylized graphics seek an expressionist effect in highlighting the grayness of modern life, making the irruptions of light and color that arise clearly stand out. from the strange visions that appear more and more frequent, in correspondence with the progressive rediscovery of dreams and emotions by the anonymous character. From the artistic point of view, albeit with limited means and solutions that are actually not very original in several cases, the work carried out by the developers is impeccable. However, one has the constant impression that everything is subjugated to form: the concept to which the game tends is obviously rich in substance, but it can be reached through a imposed path, a sequence of fascinating visions but which leave no room for some profound interpretation by the player, who is practically never called into question except for small, unimportant choices.

There are various contextual interactions in the path to be taken, but they simply serve to carry on the story that seems to advance according to its own track, leaving us almost totally passive in the face of the evolution of events, this is perhaps the most critical element of Mosaic, aggravated from a decidedly slow pace despite the shortness of the game (about three hours). The only part that actually requires a sensible and active interaction is that related to the work that the employee does at the mysterious company, which represents a successful synthesis between a metaphor of obsession with capitalist productivity and a puzzle game basic but with a minimum sense. They are short bursts of play in which we have to direct points through a hexagonal grid from initial production areas to an arrival area (the "milestone", referring to company jargon), optimizing resources and subduing anomalies. As we also reported in the other review, a particularly successful element is the reproduction of the use of the smartphone as a constant presence in the life of the protagonist between spam, ideologically addressed news and a clicker game that could very well be a real app, which can make us further reflect on the levels of automation and nonsense achieved even in some areas of video games.

Comment

Tested version PC Windows Digital Delivery Steam Price 19,99 € Resources4Gaming.com

6.8

Readers (2)

7.5

Your vote

While improving some technical aspects, especially as regards the control system, the evaluation of Mosaic on PC does not differ much from that made previously on mobile. Indeed, contextualizing, in this area there is also a rather high price to be noted, as well as a certain amount of examples of conceptual titles that manage to be even more solid video games. Krillbite must certainly be given the merit of making us reflect on topics that concern us and that strike deeply also thanks to a formal representation of great impact, but the impression is that everything is staged in a way that is too studied and pre-established, resulting in a passive assumption of the suggestions provided by the developers that somewhat clashes with the idea of independence and development of critical thinking that should be the basis of the whole project.